Ted Nugent on returning to Jackson: 'Coming home to my neighbors is always very special'

Associated PressTed Nugent will play at the Jackson County Fairgrounds as part of the Thrills in the Irish Hills Bike Festival on Friday. It will be Nugent's first show in Jackson since 2008.

JACKSON, MI – Before he was known as an avid outdoorsman or outspoken political activist, Ted Nugent was famous for his guitar licks and wild behavior on stage, which earned him the nickname “The Motor City Madman.”

One doesn’t have to be all that old to remember when Nugent called Jackson County home. Some of his children have grown up in Jackson, and it wasn’t rare to see Nugent attend high school sporting events his kids participating in.

Nugent still owns Sunrize Acres, a hunting ranch located within Jackson County. His son Toby is involved with the ranch.

On Friday, Nugent will return to Jackson to perform at the fairgrounds for the first time since 2008. He’ll be part of a double-headlining event with former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley as part of the first Thrills in the Irish Hills Bike Festival.

Never shy, “Uncle Ted” has already had an eventful year. He’s been on a national tour with Styx and REO Speedwagon, which included a June stop at the DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston.

Nugent talked about that, his music and returning to Jackson via a recent email interview:

Q: Jackson County has been a big part of your life. How does it feel to come back and be a part of a new event created by Pat Collins, who is hoping it sparks commerce in the area?

“I have powerful spiritual and emotional love for my birth state of Michigan, especially Jackson County where I bought my first home, raised my children and hunted my very own sacred hunting grounds. I crave performing my amazing music with my amazing band everywhere and anywhere, but coming home to my neighbors is always very special. When we hit the song “Fred Bear,” there is a magic in the air that every musician dreams of, and I live it every time.

Q: What’s the best thing about returning to Michigan?

“Though we have lived in Texas for nearly ten years now, my heart will always be deeply connected with Michigan. When touring the Midwest, we always hub out of our cabin here to celebrate the wonderful people, the delicious air and explore our amazing forests and swamps. It's always great to see old friends.”

Q: You took a lot of heat for the “I’ll be dead or in jail” if Obama is re-elected comment you made at an NRA convention. Was that a comment you thought about prior to saying it, or was it just something you said in the moment while giving that speech?

“I have been deeply involved in this tragic culture war raging in America for a very long time. I am painfully aware of the criminal abuses by the president, his attorney general and most of his administration. Anyone unaware of these violations is either brain-dead or woefully disconnected from reality. I know what I am doing and I know what I am saying. I meant it then and I mean it now.”

Q: Michigan hasn’t gone Republican in a presidential election since 1988 and has been decidedly Democratic in the most recent presidential elections. However, recent polls suggest the state is up for grabs. Why do you think that is?

“Even those feeble-mined Michiganiacs on the receiving end of the government’s communist offenses of redistribution are waking up to how unfair and suicidal this system is for any meaningful quality of life in MI and America. This waking up is alarming all smart people to the disastrous results of the liberal democrats' destruction of our great state. By any honest scrutiny, Romney will stop this destructo derby and re-institute some accountability.”

Q: Which song from your catalog are you most proud of?

“I have so many killer songs it is impossible to pick just one, but when we perform 'Fred Bear,' something very, very special happens every time.”